The field of non-contact surface characterization includes characterization and/or measurement of information about an object's surface including, for example, shape and surface finish measurements. Tools capable of non-contact surface characterization can be useful in manufacturing during stages such as process development, quality control and process control on the production floor. Non-contact surface characterization methods can include obtaining information about the three-dimensional (3D) shape and location of an object by analyzing the frequency content of an image of the object in an optical system.